Joining in with Amy and Five on Friday.
One We’re slowly renovating the old, dead parts of our boundary hedging which involves a lot of grubbing out of old stumps and clearing roots. We’re only working on the bits that are dead and trying not to disturb any areas that may be housing nesting birds. We had a delivery of native, wildlife-friendly hedging whips last week and needed to get them in the ground. After a lot of digging, we managed to get just 20 whips planted by teatime on Sunday; we have 80 whips left over… I think we may have over-ordered. These have been stuffed into one of the cleared terraced beds until we can find permanent homes for them.
Two Tulips and blossom. It’s that time of year and I can’t get enough of either. The greengage tree has more blossom on it than last year, so hopefully we’ll have a decent crop of these fragrant plums. The trick is to get to them before the wasps do.
Three I harvested the first few sticks of rhubarb last Sunday. I’d been waiting for the stems to be long enough to cut – according to my books, they should be longer than 23cm which seems very specific but I’ve been patient. Cooked gently with a little water and a sprinkling of dark brown sugar, it was absolutely delicious on top of some Greek yogurt. I’ll be out there with my ruler again this weekend. Hopefully there’ll be enough for a crumble.
Four I found a bargain of a dress last weekend. I hadn’t intended to buy a dress – I was going to buy some fish – but I noticed a sign saying ‘20% off sale price’ in the window and wandered into the shop to, you know, just have a look. I found a dress that a) I loved and b) fitted perfectly. It would have been daft not to buy it.
Five Still reeling from the news of Victoria Wood’s death on Wednesday, yesterday we heard that Prince had died. Sigh. Both were part of my growing-up years providing laughter and music, and I’m so sad they’re gone. It’s clouded my week, as I’m sure it has for many others.
Sorry to end on that note. Wishing you a good weekend.
acoastalplot 
Ah Sam, another two greats lost … This year is whipping us.
On the bright side, your blossom is gorgeous and your dress much prettier than a fish. Have a good weekend.
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Ha ha, thanks.
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I’ll have your dress if you ever get fed up with it, the fabric is to die for. I wonder why rhubarb needs to be certain length, intriguing. I’ll be sure to measure mine this weekend, too. x
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My rhubarb is almost ready to cut, I too am planning a crumble and some rhubarb and ginger jam.
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Ooh yes, jam 🙂
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I love that you went to buy fish and bought a dress!! Always good to get these things when you see them though. Our rhubarb is a little behind yours, but I can’t wait either, so I understand your desire to pick and eat some, the plants won’t be able to measure the stalks you picked!! Hope you keep enjoying the rest of the busy works in the garden. Thank you for joining Five On Friday again this week, I do so appreciate it and enjoy reading your posts. Hope you have a great weekend! xx
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Gorgeous dress, what a lucky find. Fantastic rhubarb. Mine’s either weak or rather young so I haven’t picked any yet, but it’s one of my favourites. The new hedge is going to be fantastic, I shall look forward to seeing it when the leaves are out. Wishing you and yours a good weekend. CJ xx
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I think those of us who love to garden suffer from an optimism that makes us think we have more space to plant than we really do. My gardening friends and I all do the same thing. A friend just got her strawberry plants and was so disappointed when they didn’t all fit into her small box. I got so many green onion bedding plants this year there was no way I could find space for all of them in my two boxes. And I always buy way more seeds than I could ever plant. It’s a disease. 🙂
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I think you’re right Kristie.
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we end with the dress. That fabric!!
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What a beautiful dress! The rhubarb sounds delicious. Never grown greengages, I must look into that one. Have a happy weekend, I think we are all reeling with so many deaths this year of special people. B X
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How lucky of you to find a perfect dress, especially when you were out to buy fish! So much better than trawling the shops in a last minute panic to find something for an event or just for summer. My rhubarb has been lurking at the 15mm mark for ages though I noticed the asparagus is coming up at last.
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We have three asparagus spears poking out but something’s been digging… I suspect badgers. Sigh.
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a sad week indeed. love that dress. and I’ve never measured my rhubarb, probably explains a lot about why I’m such a hopeless gardener………
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I don’t usually measure it, this is the first time as I was so keen to pull some!
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The meadow dress is lovely. Ilike slipping into a summer dress after a busy and hot summer day. I picked the first rhubarb about a month ago when it was just a few inches high, one stalk from each of my four plants just to enjoy that first mouthful of rhubarbness. Now my plants are growing like triffids and I made the first rhubarb cake of the year the other day – Sarah Raven’s upside cake which works well as a pud or a cake. There are gappy areas in the boundary hedge surrounding the cottage and the hedge cutter suggested in-filling with whips so interesting to read you are doing the same. Greengages are one of my favourite fruits – hope you have a bumper crop. Have a lovely weekend Sam.
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Would you like some whips? We have loads…
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It’s so hard to find a dress that really fits at a decent price that it’s mandatory to buy one when you find one that fits.
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Absolutely.
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Coming to you from Amy’s Five on Friday. What a love post. Spring rhubarb already — oh yummy! Our Spring is slowly unfolding, but no rhubard around these parts just yet (northerly Alberta, Canada).
Yes, I love that dress too, as I see other commenters’ have left similar notes. I used to have one similar that I loved to wear.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend … and thoughts of sympathy for those losses you are feeling today.
Brenda
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Thank you Brenda, and hello 🙂
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Joy and sorrow seem to always go hand in hand. It was a sad week and then a glorious week with so many displays of Spring and the hope that Spring displays for our eyes to see. Hope your weekend is going well. I baked a pie roll using rhubarb this week that was yummy.
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I love rhubarb. Have you ever had strawberry rhubarb pie?
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No but it sounds delicious.
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I had to laugh at your 100 whips. We have a tree and shrub order coming in next weekend that is a bit daunting, but nothing compared with your 100. That dress fabric made me smile. I imagine you will feel just a little bit happier every time you put it on.
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David (who did the ordering; just saying) tells me that there were actually ‘only’ 70 and that we have 50 left. It said 100 on the delivery note… Whatever. We have a load left over. Learning all the time 🙂
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Greengages are lovely I wish I had room for a tree in the garden. I hope you end up with some fruit.
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Thanks Brian, so do I.
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Hello Sam, life looks lovely at your place. I am very envious of your rhubarb, I have tried to grow it many times with little success. It is delicious but quite expensive to buy here. Your dress is so pretty, I hope you have an occasion to wear it to soon! x
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Thanks Jane. I’m sure you know the ideal growing conditions for rhubarb. Sorry you’ve not had any luck with it but you do have great successes with lots of other lovely produce!
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